Spokes/Wheel for a 1915 Touring??

[Guest Bfoss]

I'm in the process of getting my great-grandfather's 1916 Touring moved from my Dad's in Northern Idaho to my home in California. I plan to trailer it but I would like to get the wheels fixed before it goes for the ride.

It appears that the spokes have a "tear-drop" shape with the sharp edge facing outward. Has anybody located a source for these unusual spokes, along with the fellows? Also, how about instructions for assembling the wheels?

TIA!

[Jan Arnett]

Spokes can be disassembled and reassembled but it is not for the faint of heart. Send me and email or lets talk off line and I can send you an article I wrote for the Durant club. Why do you want to diassemble the wheels?

[Guest imported_RAH]

I agree with Jan, tearing apart wood wheels is not something done as a casual job. That requires some serious equipment and should be something undertaken by an experienced wheelwright. The wheels in question are Hayes with Stanweld rims and are 25". I would suggest if they are in such bad shape having them rebuilt by a professional. This is not an inexpensive process but one should consider what your car is worth when driving along and a wheel comes apart.

Rodger "Dodger" Hartley

[Guest Bfoss]

My (great-grandfather's) Dodge has been sitting indoors for about 80 years. The body still has some paint on it so that is the good news. There have been a few floods that soaked the wheels up to the running boards, that is the bad news. I have to get into the wheels more but I am expecting to have to get them rebuilt before I can put it on a trailer.

Can either of your suggest a professional wheel rebuilder? I agree that I want them to be well done so I don't have to worry about them coming apart.

I got on a website for "Hansens" who builds/rebuilds wagon wheels. I'm not sure if that is comparable.

I appreciate your time and input. My Dad always wanted to restore this Dodge since he got it in 1940, but he was never able to make progress. Now that he in 80 he has given it to me and I have a goal to get it restored and take him for a ride in it.

[Guest Jack27]

Bob Calimer of Waynesboro PA does an excellent job restoring wood wheels. You have to provide the metal parts. He did my '16 wheels about 5 years ago for $1300. He has the equipment for making non-round spokes.

[Guest RogerB]

Graber & Sons in San Diego, CA did wheels for my 1917 DB Touring two years ago. He took the wheels apart, cleaned the metal and primed it. He make new spokes to the same design as the old spokes, and the fellow. I had to finish the metal and wood. I am very satisfied with his work.

[34 Dodge]

Try Mike at Valley Wire Wheel Service in Van Nuys, CA. His phone number is: 818-785-7237. He does really good work.

Ken Sobel

[Paul Bohlig]

Here is an idea. I agree with the previous posters. But if you need to get it home soon try rolling the car up onto the trailer. Buy 4 inexpensive jack stands. These have a triangular base and an adjustable height of 3 to 5 positions. Use a floor jack to lift each of right and left and front and back tires one at a time. Just enough to slip the jack stand under each of 4 points to get the weight off the wheels and onto the jack stands. Might want to jack and remove tires and then lower onto jack stand to lower center of gravity. Then secure front and real axles at each corner. Four points in total. Drive the trailer around the neighborhood a couple of miles at below 30 MPH. Go home and tighten up the come alongs securing towing vehicle and jack stands to trailer. Repeat this process at the next 3 exits on the freeway; as things will settle and shift and you definitely do not want to see the trailer and or the old car pass you on the median because they were not well attached to the towing vehicle and each other.

Been there.

Once you get it home. Have the wood replaced at your leisure. A failed wood wheel will be lethal for both the old car and its occupants!!

Paul

[Jan Arnett]

I have four 16 inch ford rims and tires. I take the hubs out of the wood wheels and then put them in the Ford rims. I then drill the early hub bolt pattern and mount the hubs. I have used the same set of old ford rims on a 23 Moon, 23 Dodge and a paige. Sometimes I have to put some spaces it but it allows me to roll around the chasis while i work on the wheels. You can use the same approach to put a car on a trailer in fact that is how I moved the Moon.

Lots of luck.

[Guest Bfoss]

Was that $1300 per wheel, or $1300 for four wheels???

Thanks!

[Guest Bfoss]

I tried calling Valley and was told that they don't work on wooden wheels

[Guest 18DodgeBrothers]

We had all 4 wheels (with wood felloes) for our '18 DB touring completely remade by an Amish wheelwright here in Ohio. These people are real craftsmen. Gave them half of a wheel (front and back ones) as a pattern and the hubs and bands. They returned wheels ready to go on the car. We applied the finish to the bare hickory wood, which was smooth as glass. Took three weeks to get the front two back and about the same for the two rear. This, of course, depended on their workload as they have national customers. This was 4 or 5 years ago. The total price for all 4 was in the three figure range. They are located 45 miles away, so there was no shipping cost involved (we combined the trips with other activities in their area). A few pictures at link below.

Les Hoffmann

DBC

http://home.earthlink.net/~les_hoffmann/images

[Bryan Slattery]

I am also looking for wooden spoke wheels. If have found someone to remanufacture them please let me know. I have nothing to start with because my 1925 tourer had steel dish wheels that have been replaced with late model wheels for farm work some time in the last 50 years. Any help would be aprecated. Good luck with yours.

[Leif Holmberg]

http://www.calimerswheelshop.com/ Found this on my Favorites in my computer.

Leif in Sweden.

[BradFoss]

OK, overdue update.

I was able to get the wheels rebuilt by Calimers Wheel Shop.

He did a great job using kiln dried hickory, not air dried.

Due to circumstances I need to move the Dodge next week

I ordered the new tires, tubes, flaps and caps.

I understood that I also ordered the tire rims as they have been missing, probably since WWII

Unfortunatley I didnt get the rims.

The rims I need are these

 

Does anyone have a source for these rims?

 

I need at least 4, but I'd like to have a 5th one for the spare.

 

Thanks for being there!

[JFranklin]

Are the rims you ordered backordered or out of stock? 

[gossp]

22 hours ago, BradFoss said:

OK, overdue update.

I was able to get the wheels rebuilt by Calimers Wheel Shop.

He did a great job using kiln dried hickory, not air dried.

Due to circumstances I need to move the Dodge next week

I ordered the new tires, tubes, flaps and caps.

I understood that I also ordered the tire rims as they have been missing, probably since WWII

Unfortunatley I didnt get the rims.

The rims I need are these

 

Does anyone have a source for these rims?

 

I need at least 4, but I'd like to have a 5th one for the spare.

 

Thanks for being there!

My guess is you could get a set put together through a couple phone calls. Mainly myers and romar. 

[BradFoss]

On 6/24/2024 at 7:33 PM, JFranklin said:

Are the rims you ordered backordered or out of stock? 

Cocker Tires website shows, "Unfortunately this Item is Not Currently Available. To place a back order or find an alternative product please call 877-439-6426."

 

I called them, they referred me to Ecklers, who suggested I get back to Calimers to see if Bill might have a suggestion. No luck.

 

 

[Minibago]

On 6/25/2024 at 11:58 AM, BradFoss said:

OK, overdue update.

I was able to get the wheels rebuilt by Calimers Wheel Shop.

He did a great job using kiln dried hickory, not air dried.

Due to circumstances I need to move the Dodge next week

I ordered the new tires, tubes, flaps and caps.

I understood that I also ordered the tire rims as they have been missing, probably since WWII

Unfortunatley I didnt get the rims.

The rims I need are these

 

Does anyone have a source for these rims?

 

I need at least 4, but I'd like to have a 5th one for the spare.

 

Thanks for being there!

Not sure I am reading correctly but the link to “the rims I need are these” show a 26 inch rim.
Is that correct? 
The 1918 Dodge Brothers had 25 inch rims.

[BradFoss]

Your are so right sir!

The tires are 33X4, the wheels are 24 1/2 inches diameter.

 

I assume that since the wheel has a bead on the inner side, the rim has a bead on the outer side?

 

Trying to locate 5 25 inch rims, or at least 4

 

Thanks for any suggestions

 

 

[Mark Gregush]

For the Stanweld or Hayes wheels; The lugs are the wedge type so bead would not work on the outer side. The wedges keep the rim spaced away from the band on the felloe along with the buttons pressed into either the rim and/or felloe band. 

The 1st Kelsey had wood felloes, rims had 2 beads around the inside and used different lugs. 

Edited July 11 by Mark Gregush
Update info for Kelsey 1st wheels (see edit history)

[Minibago]

This is what I have on my 1917.

As Mark says, the lugs hold the rim up against the wheel.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bloo]

Minibago's wheels must be Kelsey then, right?

 

What brand are BradFoss' wheels?

 

 

[Mark Gregush]

Can you post a photo of where the valve stem goes through the metal felloe rim? I don't have any extras for sale but there are at least two different methods that were used to keep the rim from rotating on the wood felloe wheels. 

 

[alsfarms]

The fellow band on the wheel shown by Bradfoss sure look like Firestone to me.

Al

[Minibago]

Steel Kelsey 25 inch wheel. Just a normal hole for the valve stem.

 

 

Unfortunately my inner tubes are the modern rubber type so my neat brass valve covers just screw onto the rubber.

The square shank bolts are used to mount the clamps and one is used to locate the drive locking lug.

 

 

 

Tightening the bolts progressively in stages across the wheel helps centre and true the wheel (mostly) make sure that the clamps are positioned (seated correctly) and tight on completion as I have several bent bolts in my box to prove that they can move under braking.

[dodge28]

Bon Calima restored 4 wheels from my 28 DB for 13 hundred dollars. Great job.

Harry in Thornhill, Canada.

 

[Mark Gregush]

9 hours ago, alsfarms said:

The fellow band on the wheel shown by Bradfoss sure look like Firestone to me.

Al

 Dodge or Stanweld, like the ones I have. 

The photos below shows the area at the valve stem to lock the rim to the wheel to keep from rotating. The first one is just a tube that was attached that fit in a hole, the second one is an embossed plate that fits in a slot in the felloe band and the 3rd was modified to fit in the hole from the plate type. The lug shown, is worn at the slope but the wedge part is shown. The wedge is what spaces the rim out from the wheel. There is another lug that I can't find my sample, so without that sample is hard to describe. If I can find it I will post a photo later. 

On 7/9/2024 at 7:27 PM, Bloo said:

Minibago's wheels must be Kelsey then, right?

 

What brand are BradFoss' wheels?

 

 

But later style with metal felloes. The 1st Kelsey wheels were still wood felloe and used a rim with beads on both sides of the inner edge. They used the odd lug that I can't find my sample of. 

I am far from an expert but trying my best to take a stab at it. Still a lot easier than Ford Model T that had more combinations of rims and wheels then people might imagine. 

[Mark Gregush]

On 7/9/2024 at 2:04 AM, BradFoss said:

Your are so right sir!

The tires are 33X4, the wheels are 24 1/2 inches diameter.

 

I assume that since the wheel has a bead on the inner side, the rim has a bead on the outer side?

 

Trying to locate 5 25 inch rims, or at least 4

 

Thanks for any suggestions

 

 

What are the rims behind the wheel you are showing? 

[Mark Gregush]

here is a link to Brad's post on Facebook showing the car and more views of the wheels;

Dodge Brothers Motor Cars | Looking for help on my 1916 Dodge Touring | Facebook